Moments of Radiance
by Kyone
Summary: Short stories dealing with the Path of Radiance timeline. Moment 2 is up. I'm not dead, really.
1. A Lack of Poetic Device

Moment 1: A Lack of Poetic Device

GatriexAstrid

I like them together. Really.

Astrid said she wanted to fight more like a mercenary. She said she was sick of being weak, of not being able to do enough. And so she fought. She remained at the sides of everyone else, bound by her unique sense of loyalty that words could do no justice to.

Gatrie tended to watch her while he was alone on the battlefield, that petite girl whose hands still shook as she pulled the bowstring back, who shut her eyes against the death of those she killed.

At those times more than ever, Gatrie felt a strange sort of insecurity when he watched her, compared the clumsy suit of armor that was he to her grace and purity. And yet…

It scared him, in much the same way it entranced him, to see her kill. She was young, a member of nobility, female. As old-fashioned as it sounded, a female (especially one as frail as she) should not have been doing anything close to what she was doing.

On the night he confronted her about it, she smiled and said, "The others are fighting, and I feel the need to be out there, helping them. I want to help."

Gatrie only looked at her, unable to form a coherent, let alone a proper response.

The dark-haired girl, noticing his discomfort, took his hand in the dying candlelight and whispered, in a lover's tone, "But you'll be here to protect me, so neither of us should worry."

In response, he placed his free hand over their linked grasp, feeling just how frail and tiny she was. "Of course I will," he said, knowing his words could not do service to his need, which was somehow both physical and mental, to keep her safe. "I will protect you, Lady Astrid."

* * *

Hoo. First Fire Emblem fanfic. There'll be more than this, really. As many ficlets as I can turn out, I suppose. T'would be nice if readers would review; please tell me if there were any glaring or not-so-glaring mistakes in here. I'm only up to 'C' support with these two, and I'm not sure if I totally screwed things up.

If anyone is familiar with my other stories, they should know my updating times are sporadic, at best. I do have five of these stories written down, and am currently working on a sixth, so expect the next one in less than a month.


	2. First Time

Moment 2: First Time

Because having disturbed!Ike is more fun than not having him care about killing Nameless/Faceless Man #3.

* * *

Ike can still remember, as clear as day, the first time he killed someone. He didn't have a name for the person, never heard one and never will know, as the man hadn't been important.

This knowledge (or lack thereof) did nothing to change the fact that the man was dead, and it was his fault. A nagging part of his mind kept telling him that it wasn't his fault, that it was the other man's.

But it was Ike who had swung the sword, expecting something like resistance, only receiving the yielding of flesh and a warm spray of blood. It had surprised him, and he pulled back in mingled disgust and surprise. He caught himself, though, remembering that "the smallest lapse invites death."

Everyone else seemed to be used to this, and he wondered how they managed to live with themselves. These people had families, too, had homes, had lives, just as they had.

"Ike, you okay?" Boyd's voice had floated across the battlefield, and Ike had sheathed his sword and run to catch up.

"Yeah," he had answered. "I'll be fine."

* * *

If any of you are wondering (which I am quite sure you're not), no, I don't normally care about the people I kill. Unless they have names and aren't the bosses. And even then, I don't bother caring for the most part. So there, Devdan. Going after Titania and getting yourself killed was all your fault.

Ayup. Do review, I need to know if I'm messing things up here. Other than the obvious. We all know Ike doesn't care about Nameless/Faceless Man #3, but we can all hope, right?

And as that little bonus note, I don't work well with stories of greater length. Blame it on my inability or my incredibly short attention span. Which shows, cause it took me forever to update.


End file.
